Juanes - Profile of Latin Music's World Ambassador

Juanes is not your typical superstar. His music is uniquely his own, defying traditional labels. Even though his Mi Sangre World Tour boasted 200 dates, he's basically shy and self-effacing and prefers to sit home and write music. He tries not to repeat himself musically; he writes songs about what is of concern at the moment, be it in his personal life, his worries about the environment or the situation in his war-torn and politically volatile native country, Colombia. And in an industry where Latin music artists gain worldwide fame via the 'crossover' move, Juanes is committed to singing solely in Spanish.

Yet he's the largest selling Latin music artist in the world and has already won 12 Grammy awards. The Los Angeles Times named him "the single most important figure of the past decade in Latin pop music." TIME Magazine selected him as "One of the 100 Most Influential People in the World." The president of Colombia has called him "Colombia's greatest ambassador."

That seems like a lot to live up to but Juanes makes it look easy.

* Photo courtesy Paul Hawthorne /Getty Images